Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa

South Africa: Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 was 11.4% in 2018. ▼ Falling

Latest (2018)
11.4%
Change on year
up 44.5%
World rank
41st
of 154 countries
All-time high
22.7%
in 2000
All-time low
7.9%
in 2017
Years of data
11
1998–2018

Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa, 1998–2018

101520251998200820181998: 22.4 %1999: 21.3 %2000: 22.7 %2001: 21.3 %2002: 19.5 %2003: 18.1 %2004: 16.3 %2015: 8.9 %2016: 11.5 %2017: 7.9 %2018: 11.4 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2018, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa stood at 11.4%.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 44.5% on the previous year and down 30.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa peaked at 22.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2017.

South Africa ranks 41st of 154 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, male (%) in South Africa, 1998 to 2018.
Year % Change
1998 22.4%
1999 21.3% -4.9%
2000 22.7% +6.6%
2001 21.3% -6.5%
2002 19.5% -8.4%
2003 18.1% -7.2%
2004 16.3% -9.7%
2015 8.9% -45.3%
2016 11.5% +29.2%
2017 7.9% -31.7%
2018 11.4% +44.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 11.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.8%, 6.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 11.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.2%, 40% of the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 21.9% 21.3% 22.4% 2
2000s 19.6% 16.3% 22.7% 5
2010s 9.9% 7.9% 11.5% 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 38 Dominican Republic 14.7% compare
  2. 39 Benin 13.0% compare
  3. 40 Cape Verde 12.3% compare
  4. 42 Côte d'Ivoire 11.4% compare
  5. 43 Mali 11.0% compare
  6. 44 Samoa 10.5% compare

See the full ranking of 193 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa?
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa was 11.4% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 2000.
What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2017.
How does South Africa rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2?
South Africa ranks 41st out of 154 countries with data for 2018.
Is percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/percentage-of-pupils-enrolled-in-primary-education-who-are-at-least-2-years-over-age-for-4/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, male (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
193 places, 2,314 data points, 1997–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of pupils in primary education who are at least 2 years above the intended age for their grade. The intended age for a given grade is the age at which pupils would enter the grade if they had started school at the official primary entrance age, had studied full-time and had progressed without repeating or skipping a grade. A low value of this indicator will show that the majority of students start school on time and progress with minimum levels of grade repetition. Late school entry and significant grade repetition exacerbate over-age progression and should be discouraged as both are associated with lower levels of student learning achievement. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/